Kyla Guru, a Deerfield High School freshman, is teaching her parents' generation how to keep themselves and their children safe when using the internet.

Guru launched Bits N' Bytes in October out of her Deerfield home with the goal of educating middle and elementary school students and their families on cyber security.

"We go to elementary and middle schools," Guru said. "We talk about digital safety and cyber security online. We make supplemental materials to teach students like films, activities at parent nights and my blog."

Guru said she has already talked to parents in Deerfield Public Schools District 109 and in Sugar Grove. She will soon talk to Glencoe families. She gave the keynote address during a parent education night April 12 at Shepard Middle School in Deerfield.

"She was as good as any keynote address I've heard at any type of professional conference," District 109 Superintendent Michael Lubelfeld said. "She talked about the top topics for today's digital citizens."

Inspiration to start Bits N' Bytes came after Guru attended a cyber camp at Purdue University last summer. She said she was one of a handful of students from the Midwest studying digital forensic science to help people guard against malware and make computers more difficult to hack. She was motivated to help others.

Americans learned Tuesday that the CIA has tools that can hack smartphones, computer operating systems, message apps, Wi-Fi networks. That blockbuster revelation came courtesy of WikiLeaks, the organization last in the headlines for its role in the purported Russian leaking of emails to tilt the...

Americans learned Tuesday that the CIA has tools that can hack smartphones, computer operating systems, message apps, Wi-Fi networks. That blockbuster revelation came courtesy of WikiLeaks, the organization last in the headlines for its role in the purported Russian leaking of emails to tilt the...

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"I know how valuable this is for students in kindergarten through eighth grade," Guru said. "They will be the ones dealing with this in the future."

More recently, Guru was one of 30 students nationwide to participate in a four-day conference earlier this month at Stanford University. In addition to attending lectures and presentations, she said she toured Google, Facebook, GoDaddy and some Silicon Valley startups.

One area of concentration for Guru with Bits N' Bytes is password protection. She said that is a key element to avoid hacking and a subject she stresses when talking to groups. She got reaffirmation at Stanford during a lecture from a professor.

"They were talking about password safety and the algorithms that go into developing a safe password," Guru said. "It was ironic because that is what I am working on."

Getting the opportunity to visit the technology giants and startups of Silicon Valley was another highlight of her time in California.

"It was really cool see all the things they are working on and what we are going to experience in the future," Guru said.

Guru got an invitation from Deerfield Mayor Harriet Rosenthal to share her experiences at Stanford during a meeting of the Deerfield Village Board of Trustees April 17.

"I'm just in awe of what she is doing," Rosenthal said. "She is a mover and a shaker. She has won all kinds of awards around the community. She is one-of-a-kind. She is passionate, organized and energetic."

Marcy Faust, the director for innovative learning in District 109, said Guru packs a powerful message not only because of the content but also because of her unique background. Faust said Guru went through elementary and middle school in Deerfield as technology was becoming a dominant part of education.

"She offers a personal message for parents to hear," Faust said. "For parents this is a new age that (Guru's) generation is growing up with. She can tell them how to coach and teach their children at home so we can all be well informed."

Guru does more than talk to students at schools. She has created an animated film where her likeness is a detective working to protect computers and keep hackers out. She also writes a blog and sends her message out on social media.